Yearly, a quarter of the population undergo emotional trauma
due to crisis or personal tragedy. A loved one could get sick or pass away, you
may be sued or lose your job. There could be heavy financial concerns or be
constrained to relocate. Your marriage could break up. You could be one of
millions of people who experience grave clinical depression; or you may have
gone through some emotional hurt in childhood that greatly affects you. More
than half of children come from divorced marriages or dysfunctional families
and a lot of others would have lived seeing their parents' divorce before
turning twenty-one.

How can you protect yourself during these emotionally
traumatic times? Here are some strategies for dealing with stress and emotionaltrauma. All the same, what if it's just unbearable? Do you have a particular
problem that is difficult to discuss with your friends and family?

Each individual can benefit from being emotionally fit, and
every person goes through experiences that affect his or her emotional welfare.
Do not hesitate to ask for professional help to provide you emotional trauma
therapy. A counselor, therapist, psychologist, church minister, or psychiatrist
can impart guidance and insight. The negative stigma associated with seeking
professional help could hurt everyone. Thankfully, the past two decades saw a
noticeable shift in the manner we regard mental health. Seeking professional
help has become an accepted trend.

Mental health is a complicated issue because denial could so
oftentimes serve a potent role, keeping the individual from getting the
assistance he or she needs and deserves. That's why individuals who live with
an alcoholic will likely notice the problem than the alcohol-dependent person
by himself or herself. A couple of mental and emotional conditions have a
physiological factor likewise as a psychological one. For example, the variants
among clinical depression cases are determined according to the chemical
changes that happen in the brain's hormones. Medications can help treat these
conditions. Common medicinal drugs involve the selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors (SSUls), like Prozac, citalopram, paroxetine , and sertraline, and
another group of antidepressants, the most typically prescribed being
bupropion. One drug may induce side effects in a patient while some other drug
of a similar kind won't. Frequently, emotional events could activate the
biological response, and, while a pill can alter the biochemistry of the brain,
it could not fully alter the emotional tensions that may have initially
activated the depression.

Psychotherapy could also aid in treating emotional trauma.
Two forms of counseling are interpersonal and cognitive/behavioral therapies.
The goal of interpersonal therapy is to help you understand the symptoms of
emotional trauma. Cognitive/behavioral therapy identifies behaviors that
perpetuate the depression and seeks to program behaviors to prevent further
depression. Generally, talk therapy and drug therapy when combined, work best.

Many things can happen to your hair during winter -- and
most of these are not good. Here are
ways to care for your hair in winter time to prevent if from further damage.

- During winter, hair has a tendency to dry out. Switch to a shampoo formula made for dry hair
instead of the standard shampoo. Dilute the shampoo with water before using it
on your hair.

- Flyaway hair is common due to winter’s dryness, which
makes it conducive to static energy. Regularly use a conditioner to keep hair
more manageable.

- Here's a homemade remedy for static hair. Combine 1/2 cup
of any cream conditioner, two teaspoonfuls sesame oil, and one egg yolk and mix
in a blender for a minute. Apply and massage the mixture onto your hair. Cover
your head with plastic wrap leave on for half an hour. Shampoo and rinse your hair well.

- Before using the hair brush, dip it into water mixed with
conditioner to coat the bristles.

- When your scalp begins to flake due to dryness. Switch to
a milder, castile-type shampoo for a couple of washes and check if it improves.

- Be careful when applying heat to your hair. Use
warm-to-cool setting on your blow dryer especially on damp hair. This prevents
hair from over-drying. Never use hot rollers or curling irons on damp hair—
unless you want your hair cooked!

- Once a month, treat your hair to a hot oil treatment to
give it that extra deep conditioning. This will tone down brittle ends and hair
will grow softer.

- To avoid hair static use wooden or metal combs and
brushes. Avoid using those plastic or natural-fiber types, which creates more
static. You could also
"de-static" a brush by slipping a nylon stocking on the bristles.

During winter, special attention is given to the skin to
keep it healthy. Follow these winter skin care tips:

- Before sleeping, clean your face using mild soap or facial
and water and follow through using an alcohol-free toner. Upon waking up in the
morning, splash your face with lukewarm water. If your skin is oily, you may
also opt to use a mild toner in the morning.

- When skin becomes dry and flaky, try using plain milk as a
cleansing lotion. Use a cotton ball to apply it on your face then rinse with a
splash of tepid water and thoroughly rinse the face using cold water.

- Shift to an oil-based moisturizer, unlike the one you use
in the hot months. Massage it thoroughly, but gently, onto your face.

- Continue using sunscreens! Even if it’s not summer, you
still need protection from the sun’s UV rays. You may combine a sunscreen with
your moisturizer before applying it, or use a one with a built-in sunscreen.

- Do not wash your face for at least thirty minutes prior to
heading outdoors. The water paired with the cold winds has a drying result on
the skin.

- Warming yourself immediately by the fire after coming in
from the cold outdoors and may sound fantastic, but be warned for it could
result in broken capillaries appearing on your face. The cold outdoors induces
blood vessels to shrink, and when a sudden change to a hot temperature happens,
they enlarge and may burst. To avoid this, go at once to the sink. Splash cool
water on your face; slowly increase the water temperature to lukewarm, not hot.
Then you may enjoy the fireside!

- Don't abuse caffeine for it can dehydrate the skin. Take
herbal tea or even plain hot water having a slice of lemon as a substitute—
very energizing!

- Prevent the all-over itch caused by winter-dry skin by
using mild detergent soaps and bleaches on any garment that will touch your
skin. The chemical residue from strong detergents and bleaches can strip the
skin of its natural oils, leaving it looking aged.

- Humidity is vital for the skin and hair during wintertime.
To raise the humidity level in your dwelling, acquire a humidifier or put a pan
of water on the radiator. Fill your sleeping room with plants that demand lots
of water. Ferns, bamboo, and plants with large leaves such as begonias, emit
moisture that is good for the skin.

- To prevent lips from chapping, use lip balm or a tinted
lip balm instead of lipstick.

Winter season has environmental elements that are harsh to
the skin. Here are a few useful skin care tips that can be incorporated at bath
time to keep the skin moisturized in winter.

Moisturizing Bath

- Bathe and shower with lukewarm water. Hot water removes
the natural oils of the skin.

- Drier skin tends to be more. Put away your scratchy
loofahs and stiff-bristled brushes and use a soft cloth or a very soft-bristled
brush for bathing.

- Treat your skin to a moisturizer as often as possible. Do
not hold off till your skin feels dried and itchy before moisturizing it.
Prevention is indeed the best remedy, so always moisturize your skin after
every bath or shower. Apply cream or lotion to the skin when it is still slightly
damp to trap moisture in.

- Take a bath or shower at night instead of in the morning.
This way, your body could replenish its protective natural oils during the
night.

Spa Bath

Using ingredients found in the kitchen, you can turn your
bath into a special spa session.

- Mixing a cup of vinegar to your bath water helps get rid
of dry-skin itchiness.

- To soothe aching muscles mix a handful of Epsom salts to
your bath.

- You may use spices and herbs in your bath for relaxation.
Tie basil, cinnamon, and cloves inside a cheesecloth and position it under
running water. Other relaxing herbs you may use include lavender, elder flower,
comfrey, rose.

Work with your hair, not against it. Here are common hair problems and practical solutions including recommended hair products that will solve your hair problems.

Limp Hair Problem

Limp hair is commonly caused by buildup on the scalp, not
the hair, so the basic solution is to clean and exfoliate the scalp first. Loading up on products can torture limp
hair. “You can’t spray limp hair with a
volumizer and expect it to instantly repair the difficulty,” as advised by hair
expert Jean-Louis Renaud. His Phytologie
Hair care company addresses hair care as serious as toxicology.

Recommended products: Phytoslogie’s three step program
involves Phytopolliene pre-treatment oil to exfoliate the scalp, Phytocedrat
shampoo to clean the hair and scalp, and Phyto L spray to act as an
astringent. Restoration does not happen
overnight. It is a corrective therapy
that gets lasting results.

Frizzy or Curly Hair

Do not lop off those rebellious curls-- all they need is a
little TLC. To keep frizzy or curly hair
under control, avoid blow-drying it. If
you must, use a diffuser attachment and a cool setting. Work with your hair not against it. Shop for hair products labeled as
“serum.” It should be applied to damp
hair to coat and smoothen it, taming the wayward strands.

If you are experiencing dry, flaky scalp, stay away from blow
dryers for a while because it can over-dry the scalp. Use a medicated and mild soothing shampoo. Some find Neutrogena T/Gel Shampoo very
effective for this purpose.

Course Straight Hair
(Asian hair)

For those with straight, course hair, look for a style with
no significant part. You may add some
needed texture by coloring or waving (such as digital perm) the hair. Styles with some length work best with this
type of hair because if you cut it too short, the hair can separate and appear
pokey, like hairbrush bristles. Most
Asians with this type of hair complain because of its weighted down quality. Occasional use of a deep cleansing shampoo
like TRESemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo will remedy this significantly.

Damaged Hair

Damaged and out of condition hair may only be remedied by a good haircut to remove the damaged parts.
Follow that up by an intensive conditioning treatment which can be done
in a salon using steam heating. You can
also remedy this at home by using an intensive conditioner at least once a
week. Leave it on your hair under a
shower cap for 20 minutes.

The fix for baby fine hair is a great haircut. A uniform cut sans the layers will work
best. Be overly cautious on going for
very short haircuts because it makes you lose a lot of volume. You may end up looking like a wet chicken.

Recommended products: Pantene Pro-V 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner
would give you noticeable results. Body
building sprays may simply make your hair look thicker but without any movement
or swing, which eventually defeats the purpose.
Try Redken’s Fat Cat Thickening Lotion instead. Those who used this product found visible
improvements after three applications.

Static on Hair

To solve the static problem on hair, use conditioner
regularly as usual. Apply a little gel
your hair before blow drying. There’s
one other solution – use laundry anti-static sheets (the stuff you toss in the
dryer) on your hair to get rid of the static on your hair.

Cowlick Bangs

A cowlick is one natural hair trait that you have to live
with for the rest of your life. Work
with it by applying some weight on your bang area. Heavier bangs would help solve it. Your blow dryer is your best friend when it
comes to solving this problem.

What is Dry Eye?
Dry Eye Syndrome is one very common eye dysfunction. A lot of factors bring about this condition, as well as a various of symptoms. Dry Eye is the effect of incapability to produce the proper quantity or quality of tears to keep the eye moistened. People with Dry Eye complain of symptoms such as itching, eye grittiness, burning feeling, tired eyes and fuzzy sight. It is surprising that, some people suffer from an excess of tears. Those tears produced by their eyes are mostly of water and lack the important oil to keep them from evaporating. Such tears are then not moistening their eyes, then the eyes compensate by creating even more tears.

What causes Dry Eye?
There are many causes of Dry Eye. One of the most common sources for the eye dryness is simply the natural aging process. As we age, the tear glands do not produce tears as efficiently as before. It is more common among older women than men, especially after menopause. Thyroid problems, as well as inadequate Vitamin A are additional medical causes of Dry Eye. A wide variety of over-the-counter and prescribed medications, especially diuretics, antihistamines, sleeping medications and pain relievers can also be related with Dry Eye.

What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?
The most familiar symptoms of Dry Eye are burning sensations, itchiness or grittiness in the eye. Your eye care specialist is the best person to help determine not only if you are suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome, but the extent of the disorder - mild, moderate or severe. It is important to measure and treat Dry Eye not only for comfort, but also for your eye's overall health.

What should be done for my Dry Eye symptoms?
The most important thing when you believe that you are afflicted with Dry Eye is to consult your eye care professional. Other people attain relief in using a formulated tear product on a regular basis. These products not only provide speedy relief of symptoms like itching, burning and grittiness, but they also have a lubricant to protect the outer eye layer. There are eye care products that are formulated to closely resemble the chemical composition of natural tears as possible, and are safe to use as often as needed in a day.

Breastfeeding mothers who intend to resume full-time work
can still continue nourishing their babies with breastmilk. If you are one of
these mothers, here are tips on how to continue breastfeeding while working
full-time.

1. Get a portable
breast pump (either bought, rented, or borrowed). Breast pumps can either be
battery-operated or plugged-in. During your work day, pump your breast milk
every three hours (you have to take some short breaks to accomplish this). You have a legal right to pump your milk even
at the work. Breast milk should be stored in a clean bottle in an ice box or a
refrigerator to be consumed by your baby when you get home to be stored in the
freezer for future use.

2. Before going to
work, breastfeed your baby, also as soon as you come home; and as frequently as
possible during weekends and holidays. Nursing before leaving for work leaves
the baby happy and full and breastfeeding upon return is a happy reunion. These
are usually the most pleasant times.

3. Encourage the
nanny or caregiver to make the take a late-afternoon nap and to avoid feeding
him within an hour prior to your anticipated return home. Upon arrival, don't
allow yourself to be disturbed by phone calls or messages. Play some calming
music and proceed with your breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding has a relaxing hormone called prolactin. This is one of the benefits of breastfeeding
for mothers.

4. Sleep with your baby. This will give both the mother and
the baby more restful and longer sleep time. This gets rid of frequently waking
up all night that makes it hard to work the following day. Furthermore,
breastfeeding at night also encourages continuous milk supply.

5. If your husband is
living with you, ask him to do his share of household chores. If you are
planning to continue breastfeeding and working, you will need domestic
assistance.

6. Think about your
during work. Many mothers instinctively surround themselves with pictures of
their baby while at their office. Thinking of your baby while using the breast
pump helps activate your milk-producing hormones.

7. There will be
temporary annoyances such as breast engorgement or leaking of milk. These
discomforts will settle down within a couple of weeks as your body adjusts to your
new breastfeeding routine.

Sweating is important to keep our body healthy. Sweat keeps our body cool and helps eliminate
some of the toxins from our body through the pores of the skin. There are two types of sweat glands: the eccrinte
glands and the apocrine glands. The
eccrinte glands which count to about three million is located all over the
body. The eccrinte glands produce salts
and can pass smells and odors such as the food we ate like onions. The apocrine
glands line the armpits, groin and feet excrete oils and draw in bacteria. When the bacteria starts thriving in your
sweat, this is when body odor starts. The intensity of odor will depend on the
amount of sweat and the length of time it stays on your body. Exces­sive perspiration
could be caused by eating extremely spiced foods, an overactive thyroid or
other hormonal changes, and also stress or nervousness.

Remedies for Body Odor

Thorough
cleanliness is the key to eliminating body odor. Daily bathing with an
anti-bacterial soap is important.

Removal
of underarm hair through shaving or waxing also helps.

Use an
antiperspirant containing aluminum chlorhydrate

use a
deodorant foot spray and wear only newly washed cotton socks. Avoid using of nylon socks if your feet
sweat a lot.

Everyone produces almost a liter of gas daily - and passes
it about 13 times everyday. It is caused either by bacteria in the intestines
feeding on indigestible food by-products like the fiber in several vegetables;
when we swallow carbon dioxide such as those found in soda and fizzy drinks; or
by swallowing too a lot of air, either normally during eating and drinking, or
compulsively, due to ner­vousness. Gas is either absorbed into the bloodstream
or expelled by flatulence (farting) or commonly by burping.

Is burping or farting bad?

Flatulence is normally a good sign: it may mean that you
have a healthy, high-fiber diet. Even so, that does not make it any less
embarrassing. When you wish to increase your dietary fiber intake in order to
reap the health benefits, do so bit by bit, and drink a lot of water or fruit
juice. Some drugstores sell gas remedies
such as Beano, which contains an enzyme that boosts break down of undigested
food so the bacteria have less to feed on.

Binging or stress-eating can also hinder normal digestion;
and lead to excessive gas. To lessen burping, try taking peppermints or
drinking peppermint tea after a meal.
Some doctors prescribe using over-the-counter products that containing simethicone, such as Ovol, which
dissipate air bubbles in the stomach.
For lactose-intolerant people - those who experience gas pains after
consuming dairy products - frequently find relief by using Lactaid, a product
that assists in digesting lactoses or milk sugars.

This workout focuses on endurance, muscle awareness, and
very basic muscle strengthening for the arms, chest, back, and shoulders. With
the use of light dumbbells, this program is designed to aim at each of these
important muscles. Even beginners who
have never tried lifting weight can follow this easily and benefit greatly.

With regards to muscle training, many people choose to focus
on the abdomen, legs, and buttocks. But for day-to-day life, it will greatly
help, especially for women, to tone the upper body as well.

When lifting weights, it's crucial to concentrate on the
specific muscle movement: steady tension must be produced by conscious
contraction the muscle during the exercise. This may not be the most efficient
or fastest strength-building method; if that is your aim, graduating to heavier
weights and, in some cases, specific position should be done during exercise.
Every time you learn a new movement, whether a biceps curl or a dance step,
your brain must first learn which muscles to stimulate for the action to be
done correctly. An significant part of strength training is the use of the
muscles specified to do the work. Fresh movements form neural pathways through
the brain and spinal cord to the muscle. These nerve pathways dictate which
muscles to fire, or contract. This is called "neuromuscular
facilitation."

With the use of light weights, you can focus on using the
proper muscles. Although the neural pathways will be different as you begin
this weight program at home or at the gym, this exercise may be a much more
enjoyable introduction to the program. You could go through the primary
learning process lifting a three-pound weight rather than a heavier barbell.

As you adjust to the movements and progress to heavier
weights or machines, you will use your muscles variedly and build new
neuromuscular pathways. For example, when you do the cable row in the gym, a
resistance is formed by the cable in front of you. Your back and upper arm
muscles will then work against the resistance while you draw the cable. In a
standing stance, carry two dumbbells and pull them back in similar motion, the
greatest resistance will come from the gravity pulling downward on the
dumbbells, a resistance that requires the muscles on the front of the shoulder
a lot more than the muscles at the back. Your back muscles will work primarily
to stabilize your arm position. You can intensify your muscle awareness by also
bringing in tension in these muscles while executing the movement.

You'll have a great starting point on building the muscles
that are essential to your posture and your lifestyle by using the basics of
strength training for the upper body. Enjoy the experience of feeling
stronger. Later, you will be more aware
of muscles that you never knew existed.

There is nothing quite complicated about an insulin injection. A patient typically learns how to administer it from the doctor or
nurse. Moreover, the whole process is presented through pictures in various
pamphlets which can be obtained free of charge from the American Diabetes
Association, Eli Lilly & Co. or from E R. Squibb and Sons.

Still, the process is so important that it is worth
reviewing:

1. The syringe and needle should be sterilized by boiling in
water for about five minutes or by steady immersion in alcohol in a
"Steritube" or similar case. In the event such a case is employed,
then it, the syringe and needle should be sterilized by boiling at least once
every two weeks. Because hard water tends to cake the syringe and needle, be
sure soft water is used. If necessary, use distilled water or a commercial
water softener. Hard water can normally be detected by a whitish residue it
leaves as it boils away.

2. Be sure the insulin to be used is totally mixed in the
vial. Only globin, regular, and crystal-line-zinc insulins require no mixing.
If a mixture of insulins is done in the syringe, make sure they're well mixed.

3. Be mindful to eject any water or alcohol from the
syringe.

4. Wash the site of the injection using soap and water, then
apply alcohol with a cotton dab. Injections must be made in the arms, legs, or
abdomen, and a different site in another area must be used every time.

5. Wipe the rubber stopper in the insulin vial with another
piece of cotton wet with alcohol. Don't ever remove the stopper.

6. Set the plunger of your syringe at the mark indicating
your dose.

7. Stick the needle through the rubber stopper of the vial
and push the plunger completely in. This should force air into the vial.

8. Turn the vial gradually upside down several times, then
with the vial upside down, pull the plunger back to the mark showing your dose.
When there are any air bubbles in the syringe, push the plunger in slowly then
pull it back to your proper dosage mark again. Be utterly sure your proper dose
is in the syringe before you pull away the needle from the vial.

9. As opposed to most instructions, there is no need to
pinch the skin. Hold it steady and stick the needle into the site of the
injection promptly and deeply with the needle going straight in, never at an
angle. Push the plunger in slowly as far as it would go.

10. Hold the piece of cotton wet with alcohol-lightly over
the patch where the needle enters the skin. Then extract the needle, continuing
to hold the cotton on the skin for a couple of seconds. Don't rub the injection
site. Just continue pressing.

11. Take the syringe apart and rinse using clear water or,
if a Steritube or Vim case is being used, place it back to the tube.

These are the steps in administering an insulin injection.
It is significant to observe them carefully to prevent contaminating the
insulin, as well as the danger of injecting too much or not enough insulin. The
process is not at all complex once it is practiced a few times. Child diabetics,
no more than four years of age, have been instructed to give themselves their
own injections.

The definite symptoms
of diabetes are quite obviously impossible to ignore.
However, many people are unaware of the signs or refuse to recognize
what they are. As a result, in four known cases of diabetes, about three
are undetected and untreated.

These are common
symptoms of diabetes in the approximate order shown: frequent urination, excessive thirst, rapid weight loss, extreme hunger, over-all
weakness, drowsiness and fatigue, itching in genitals, visual
disturbances, blurred vision, etc., skin diseases such as boils, carbuncles, and other infections.

As methods are becoming more polished, it seems that complications for plastic surgery are a rarity these days. Even so, each person who is thinking of having plastic surgery must be aware of its potential risks and dangers.

Complications arising from plastic surgery can range anywhere from permanent scarring to fatalities. The consequences of surgery can occasionally traumatize the patient both physically and psychologically. Even while complications are not as common nowadays, the patient still has to keep the perils of plastic surgery in mind.

Among the basic risks of plastic surgery is scarring. A lot of surgeons today will try to hide the surgical incision line in inconspicuous places. Nonetheless, most surgeries will still end with lasting scarring.

Bleeding, infection, and hematomas are all possible after surgery. However, these ramifications are generally treatable if they're caught early on.

One really serious complication that people must be aware of when thinking of plastic surgery is nerve damage. A few people who opt to have plastic surgery will lose the feeling in the operated on area while some patients may have trouble moving muscles in the operated area.

The operation you are having done would determine the risks involved. Smokers, diabetics, people with heart disease and certain allergies are much more expected to have complications that others of good health can prevent.

Before going through plastic surgery, you must have blood tests as well as a physical examination to make sure that you meet the prerequisites for surgery. Be sure to study about the risks that are involved with your operation so that you'll be readied for your transformation.

When buying minerals, look for chelated on the label. Only
10 percent of average minerals will be assimilated by the body, but when mixed
with amino acids in chelation, the assimilation is three to five times more
effective.

Hydrolyzed stands for water dispersible. Hydrolyzed
protein-chelated signifies the supplement is in its most easily assimilated
form.

Predigested protein is protein that's already been broken
down and can go straight to the bloodstream.

Cold pressed is crucial to look for when buying oil or oil
capsules. It means vitamins have not been ruined by heat and that the oil,
taken out by cold-pressed methods, continues to be polyunsaturated.

A lot of people are confused by the variables between
vitamin criteria listed as U.S. RDA, RDA and MDR. It gets much less confusing
if you understand that they're not the same thing.

RDA (Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances) was introduced in
1941, when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council of the
Academy of Sciences
was founded by the government to safeguard public health. The RDA are not
devised to cover the needs of those who are ill—they're not therapeutic and are
intended purely for healthy individuals— nor do they consider nutrient losses
that happen throughout the processing and preparation. They are estimates of
nutritional needs needed to ensure acceptable growth of children and the
prevention of nutrient depletion in adults. They're not thought of to be
optimal intakes, nor are they recommendations for an ideal diet. They're not
average essentials but recommendations specified to meet the demands of those
healthy people with the highest requirements.

The U.S. RDA(U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances) were
developed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be utilized as the legal
standards for food labeling inreference to nutrient content. (The RDA were
employed as the [basis for the U.S. RDA.) Calories and ten nutrients should be
listed on food labels—protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C,
thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and iron. Since the U.S. RDA are based
on the highest values of the RDA, the former is oftentimes higher than the
basic demands of most healthy people, while very few people today fall under
that hypothetical category. Individuals vary by broad margins, and stress and
illness, past and present, affect everybody otherwise. As far as many other
leading nutritionists, the RDA and U.S. RDA are, sadly, inadequate.

Many children in any given school may develop head lice and your kids may get them too. You may feel embarrassed when this happens, especially when you know that you keep the house clean. So what can you do?

First, don't be embarrassed. The fact that your kid has head lice isn't a reflection on the cleanliness of your home, personal hygiene, or your economic status. Head lice are all over where there are a lot of children in small spaces like classrooms. Head lice don't fly or jump but are transmitted through direct contact, like by sharing grooming aids such as combs and brushes and by sharing caps and scarves. Teach your kid not to share these personal items.

Head lice are so tiny to be seen with the naked eye. You need a magnifying glass to spot them. You are most likely to view the nits (the eggs), which look like specks of sugar, adhering to the base of the hair shaft close to the nape of the neck or round the ears. When you see these nits, don't panic; they're easy to eradicate. Treatment of head lice is a lot easier today than it used to be. The newer over-the-counter shampoos are nearly as effective and much safer than the stronger prescription shampoos of yesteryear. These shampoos go with a specially designed nit comb which takes out the nits without damaging the hair shaft. Shampoo your child's hair as directed and repeat the shampooing 7 to 10 days later. Thoroughly clean personal articles like combs, brushes, scarves, hats, towels and bed clothing—anything that touches the hair—in really hot water. Dry clothing and linens in the hot Cycle in the dryer, or have the items dry-cleaned. When this is impractical, putting items in a sealed plastic bag for ten days would kill the lice and eggs. When your kid has head lice, don't treat her like a leper. They're not highly contagious, and are more source of irritation and embarrassment than an actual medical problem.

Unlike "cholesterol," the term "triglyceride" has yet to become a common word, although it is rapidly becoming popular as more and more people are become increasingly aware about health concerns. Cholesterol counts are only half the story -20 percent of heart attacks happen to people with cholesterol levels lower than 200. The fact is, you need to measure triglycerides.

What is the difference between cholesterol and triglycerides? Judith Ashley, Ph.D., R.D., a research nutritionist with the Division of Clinical Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of California at Los Angeles, explains: "While cholesterol and triglycerides are both fats, cholesterol, which is used for hormones and cell membranes, has no calorie or energy value; triglycerides, whose main function is to provide energy to the body, do. Initial research shows that triglyceride levels might be a more significant risk factor for heart disease in women than in men."

Like cholesterol, triglycerides are valuated through blood plasma tests administered in the morning succeeding an overnight fast.

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fats exist in food, the body and blood plasma, explains Denise Rector, R.D., associate director of community programs at the American Heart Association. Calories that aren't utilized by our tissues are turned into to triglycerides and carried to fat cells for storage. Hormones then release the triglycerides throughout the day to give us energy.

About 5 -10 percent of adults have mildly elevated triglyceride levels. With normal blood cholesterol levels, these mild elevations don't necessarily increase the risk of heart problems. A high triglyceride level, however, is a red flag because it often accompanies high total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels (low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol, which accumulates on the inner walls of the arteries), and a low HDL-cholesterol count (high-density lipoprotein, believed to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body).

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in Washington, DC, states that a blood triglyceride level of up to 250 milligrams per deciliter of blood is normal and does not pose worry; between 250 and 500 milligrams is considered marginal and warrants a search for an underlying cause (alcohol abuse, liver disease, medications or undetected diabetes). This level often responds to dietary modification. Levels above 500 are clearly high and may warrant drug treatment.

The first symptom of very high triglyceride levels is commonly angina-a tightness, heaviness, or pain in the chest that commonly takes place during exercise or heavy physical activity and is relieved by rest. Pain sometimes radiates into your back, left shoulder or arms.

Triglyceride levels of 1,000 milligrams or more greatly increase the risk of developing pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas. A less painful but troublesome side effect of exceedingly high triglyceride levels is the formation of fat-filled deposits in the skin, mainly on the back and buttocks, which erupt like acne and take some weeks to clear up.

According to Michael J. Hogan, M.D, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter in Rochester, Minnesota, triglyceride levels rise naturally with age. Elevated levels are also caused by being overweight; excess calories, especially those from sugar and alcohol; certain medications, including contraceptives and diuretics; and illnesses like diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and kidney and liver disease. Heredity may also be a factor in some forms of high triglyceride levels.

Dr. Hogan suggests several ways to lower a high triglyceride level or maintain a healthfully low level:

■ Lose weight. This is often enough to lower mildly elevated levels to normal.

■ Decrease cholesterol intake to no more than 300 milligrams daily, the recommendation set by the American Heart Association.

■ Engage in aerobic exercise regularly- at least 30 minutes three times a week. Exercise also raises your HDLs.

■ Eat less sugar and foods containing it.

■ Avoid alcoholic beverages. Some people are particularly sensitive to alcohol's ability to increase the liver's production of triglycerides.

What are the effects of exercise in conjunction with a Very Low Calorie Diet? Researchers at Cambridge University launched a test in where they monitored 60 overweight women who were eating just 405 calories per day for 8 weeks, followed by eight weeks on a maintenance program of 1500 calories each day. Some of the dieters took part in aerobic exercise on bicycle machines; others made isotonic resistance exercises while others did six weeks of one type of exercise and eight weeks of the other. Two other groups adopted the respective exercise programs but did not diet.

At some point in time, people have wondered which cardio work out is better.To answer it simply, both low and high intensity exercise routines will burn off excess body fat.Which then is the best way to burn off the most body fat.

Experts discovered that during intense exercises, the body burns glycogen, which is a form of carbohydrates that are the body stores in the liver and muscles to be used as energy fuels.During low intensity exercises, the body burns a lot of fat.

Now, you may be wondering, "Why are there still so many fat people around?"Even though you see them doing low intensity exercise routines, it still puzzles you how that can be.

The scientists were correct about the fact that the body burns more body fat during low intensity activities such as walking or swimming.It is during high intensity exercises such as running when the body burns more calories.Even if some of the calories that are burnt are from glycogen, there are also a lot of fat calories burned.

To explain it further, when your supply of glycogen runs low, the carbohydrates from the food you eat will in turn be converted into glycogen to replenish the supply, which won't be converted to body fat even when they remain unused for energy.

High intensity cardio work outs will pump up your metabolism even after your workout is over.Your body will keep going burning body fat hours after you have finished the exercise.This effect is virtually nonexistent in low intensity cardio or aerobic exercises.

You body therefore will increasingly burn up more calories during and after a high intensity cardio exercise that it will with low intensity workouts.

To get the most benefits from low and high intensity cardio workouts, mix high intensity exercises into your low intensity cardio workout by doing some interval training. You may walk for 5 minutes or so, then run or jog for another 5 minutes or so.Then, do brisk walking again until you've caught your breath and then burst into a sprint for a minute before walking again.From this level, just alternate your running and walking for the succeeding 15 minutes until you have completed your scheduled workout activity.

What's best about cardio is the fact that the more you do it, the more energy you can have.Cardio exercises help you to burn calories, while it keeps your energy levels optimal. If you have never tried interval cardio training before, you must give it a tryIf you are fond of exercise, you'll discover that cardio the best way to supercharge your energy and keep your body in tip-top shape.If you are justbeginning,you'll wish to go slow and keep your cardio exercise in control - for it is also very tempting to over exert yourself.

When you're lifting the weights, it's important that you actually focus on the movement of your muscles: You need to produce constant tension by consciously contracting the muscle during the exercise. This isn't the most efficient or time-saving strength-building method; for that you will have to graduate to heavier weights and, in some instances, position yourself otherwise as you do the exercise. Each time you learn a new movement, whether it is a biceps curl or the latest dance step, your brain should first learn which muscles to "fire" to do the action correctly. An important part of strength training is using the muscles designated to do the work. New movements make the formation of neural pathways through the brain and spinal cord to the muscle. These pathways order which muscles to fire, or contract. The fancy term for this operation is "neuromuscular facilitation," and that's what you will be doing as you learn new exercises.>>>READ MORE

There always appears to be some sort of controversy encompassing fish and seafood. While some nutritionists praise its heart-healthy protein, some warn that shellfish is rich in cholesterol. Another argument touches the safety of eating fish that comes from polluted waters, particularly since there's no required government inspection of fish and seafood. As usual, consumers are caught in the cross fire, speculative if it's worth trying to classify the facts.

Are you suffering from mysterious pains in your knees, shins, hips or lower back, or if your feet just aren't as pretty as you would like them to be?

Here are the most common foot problems encountered by many individuals:

Pronating or supinating (walking on the inner or outer edges of your feet) can induce aching hips and/or knees.Bunions, the most common foot problem, affect between 25 million and 30 million Americans. Hammertoes happen when muscle imbalance or an abnormal bone length, induce tendons to contract and the toe to buckle over.Ingrown toenails are nails that have grown into the skin at one or both corners or sides.

1. To help prevent ingrown toenails, cut or file nails straight across, instead of rounding them at the sides.

2. A pair of Dr. Scholl's pads tucked in your shoes will help you pull through corns and calluses, or a long day of standing or walking.

3. Warm baths work wonders! Dribble a few sprigs of mint in the water to put that spring back in your step.

4. When your feet are dry and cracked, daub them with Vaseline Petroleum Jelly and cover them using old socks for the night.

5. Feet that have driven you through a tough workout merit a treat. There are excellent foot cream products that would make yours as soft as a baby's.

6. A foot massage having warm lubricating lotion would make you feel like a completely new woman.

7. Shop for shoes at the end of the day, as feet have a tendency to swell in the afternoon.

8. For the ultimate in foot indulgence, give yourself an at-home pedicure; Soak your feet in sudsy water for several minutes, then pat till they are almost dry. Using a pumice stone, rub off any dead or hard skin. Cut your toenails square across and use an emery board to scratch away excess hard skin. Put on cuticle remover and push back your cuticles with an orangewood stick. Knead your feet using body lotion, then clean your nails. Place cotton balls between your toes to separate them. Put on a base coat to your nails and let dry. Apply a coat of polish, allow to dry and apply a second coat and let dry. Lastly, apply a top coat and dry, keeping your toes apart for 15 minutes or so. Wrap the end of an orangewood stick using a piece of cotton dipped in polish remover, and take out excess polish.

A VLCD can result in impressive weight loss, but there are a couple of extremely crucial points to ponder prior to beginning one. Most importantly, never take on a VLCD without the supervision of a certified physician. A VLCD is in fact a semi-starvation diet; it’s unsafe without consistent monitoring of your health by a physician.

A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) is hard to miss especially when the headlines scream about celebrities who lost a lot of weight in a short time by following the formula. Is a VLCD the miracle you’ve been looking for? If you’re dreaming about a much slimmer you, it’s important to know the facts about this method of weight loss.

Seafood is rich in protein and low in fat. While red meat can contain more than 30 percent fat, seafood is generally 1 to 3 percent fat. An important part of the fat in seafood and fish is composed of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Until recently, scientists consider that most mollusks are high in cholesterol. These high readings were caused in part by the molecules of the plant, as particularly evident in shellfish that feed on plants. Using a more appropriate method of measurement in the laboratory, researchers were able to differentiate between cholesterol molecules and plant molecules.

For all the energy we spend finding just the right shoe to match an outfit, you would think we'd spend a bit more time thinking of what's underneath all that leather.

Regrettably, most of us never think twice about our feet till they start to tucker out, which they unavoidably do if we dismiss them long enough.

We walk two to three miles just going around our daily business —not considering exercise. By the time we finally tuck our tired feet peacefully between the sheets we are likely to have put sufficient pressure on them to equal several times our body weight.

Our feet afford us stability, just as a foundation steadies a building. Numerous foot problems cause no pain at all in the feet themselves, but trigger mysterious aches and pains elsewhere in the body. Misalignment of just one of the foot's 26 bones, for instance, or a strained muscle, tendon or ligament, might cause a problem in the hip, knee, shin or calf or even your back or neck.

Most foot abnormalities can be adjusted through modern technology and podiatry. Early spotting is likely to bring down the difficulty, pain and expense of treatment. Unfortunately, aside from the checkup we get at birth, most of us never see a podiatrist unless we are limping with pain.

The first routine visit to a podiatrist had better occur between the ages of two-and-a-half and three, when a child starts walking heel to toe. Thereafter, both children and adults should be checked by a podiatrist every few years and before initiating a new fitness program.

Eating red, orange, and other bright colored fruits can help promote healthy skin and also prevent acne. There are several fruits that can do the job.

Apples

While working on clearing your acne eat at least two apples daily. Apples are beneficial for skin health. Choose organic apples so that you can eat the skins because most pectin is contained in the skin, which also aids to relieve constipation. Apples also contain bioflavonoids, ascorbic acid, fiber, quercetin, pectin, vitamins, and minerals.

Apricots

Go ahead and eat as much as you like. Apricots are a good source of minerals, fiber, and beta-carotene which can also help control acne.

Bananas

Eat one banana a day. Bananas contain the phytochemcial fructooligosaccharides, which nourishes the good bacterial in your colon. Feeding the good bacteria prevents the bad bacteria from spreading in the colon and bringing on toxic acids that affects the skin, thus creating acne.

Blackberries

Blackberries are good for cleansing the blood and are also good for avoiding constipation. They are good for the kidneys and are good for promoting good skin.

Blueberries

Aside from being a good blood cleanser, blueberries also help ease constipation and cure various skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and psoraisis.

Cantaloupes

Because they are high in vitamins A, C and contain various minerals, cantaloupes are good for any type of skin problems.

Cherries

Cherries cleanse the blood and help the liver and kidney. They also promote regular bowel movements.

Grapes help clean the body, build blood vessels, and build the body. It alleviates constipation, and good for healing the skin and liver disorders.

Mango

Mangoes have elements that helps avoid kidney inflammation. It carries a lot of minerals, which assists to neutralize acid waste.

Strawberries

The pectin in strawberries has been shown to fight acne growth.

Pineapples

Pineapples contain several vitamins and minerals. Among them is Papain, which aids to digest protein. Pineapples are useful in of eliminating excess mucus, digestive problems, constipation, and intestinal worms.

These fruits and fruit products are useful for curing acne because they have an antibiotic effect:

Unlike other, more restrictive diet programs, snacking is an absolutely acceptable component of a low carbohydrate diet—as long as your snacks are also found on the low carb list.

Snacking is more than just okay, it is also beneficial in a lot of ways. Eating small food servings during the day has been proven to accelerate the body’s metabolism, to burn fat faster and more efficiently. Snacking also helps prevent food cravings, which can cause even the most disciplined individual to overeat or cheat at the next meal. If you don't use snacks as a safety net, then it will be more tempting to munch on restricted foods and almost anything else that comes your way.

Do remember that, snacking should be taken in moderation. Just because a food is considered low carb, it does not mean that it is all right to consume as much of it as you want. Make a list of the low carb foods that you may allow yourself to eat and regularly refer to this list to determine the amount of carbohydrates contained in a serving of the food items you wish to eat as snacks, and make sure that the total sum of carbohydrates conforms to your daily allowance. A food qualifies to be on the low carb list based on its singled serving, not an unlimited quantity.

There are lots of foods that make good snack options. Meats and cheeses generally have very low carbohydrate content, so they are acceptable choices for snacks. Have a cold cut platter and/or assorted cheese slices to nibble on throughout the day. You could also have a lamb slice or buffalo wings which are great snack foods. Melt some low fat cheese over a drumstick, serve up some sausage, or make lean meatballs. You may also choose eggs—hard-boiled, scrambled, or over-easy.

Other good snack items which you could include in your low carb list with virtually no carbohydrates are lettuce, celery, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumbers. Mix these with other food items from various categories of your low carb list to create a delightful salad. You could throw in some diced cheddar cheese with some nuts (make sure to check the low carb list to find out which nuts have fewer carbs) and drizzle it with olive oil; or have a chicken Caesar salad.

Selections from the low carb list that are beneficial snack foods, but taken in moderation, include most vegetables. Avoid squash, and potatoes, because these have high carbohydrate content. However, a vegetable platter with spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, and string beans, either or cooked or raw, topped with vinaigrette dressing can make a filling treat. Most beans make an easy and delicious snack, which go well with veggies, such as celery bits. For a filling afternoon treat, try having a tomato soup, chicken soup, or beef stew.

With a properly planned recipe, almost any kind of food can qualify on the low carb list! A lot of low carb recipes can be found online for variants of breads, muffins, pancakes, and even chewy desserts. Once you’ve sampled some successful recipes, experiment and find out what other low carb foods you could create.